Petition from the Executive Committee of Urantia Brotherhood
To the Membership Committee of First Urantia Society
Requesting Explusion of Robert Burton

The Executive Committee of Urantia Brotherhood respectfully
submit the following petition for the expulsion of Robert Burton from membership
in First Urantia Society, and ipso facto from membership in Urantia
Brotherhood.

WHEREAS,
the preamble to the Constitution of the Urantia Brotherhood provides, in
part: “Inasmuch as it is our most
solemn conviction that the comfort, happiness, and well-being of Man will
be enhanced by the creation of an organization devoted to the purposes
hereinafter expressed, and inasmuch as it is our considered judgment that
the purposes hereinafter expressed may best be accomplished through the
mutual assistance and association of a body of people working together for
a common cause…” and

WHEREAS,
Article IV, Section 4.3 of the aforesaid Constitution provides, in
part: “No member shall be expelled
from membership in a Urantia Society unless, as adjudged by such Urantia
Society, the attitude, conduct, or influence of such member shall be
prejudicial to the interests and work of such Urantia Society…” and

WHEREAS,
Robert Burton has failed, as hereinafter more specifically set forth, to
participate in the mutual assistance of the body of people consisting of
Urantia Brotherhood through membership in First Urantia Society in working
together with them for a common cause and, more particularly, has
exhibited an attitude, has been guilty of conduct, and has exercised
influence which has been, is, and promises to be prejudicial to the
interests and work of Urantia Brotherhood, and

WHEREAS,
it is the responsibility of the Executive Committee of the General Council
of Urantia Brotherhood to maintain order and to protect their
organization, and further, it is their prerogative to judge the loyalty,
integrity, and sincerity of their members, and moreover, it is their
privilege to be free of, and their duty to prevent, contemptible conduct
designed to destroy their organization, and

WHEREAS,
Urantia Brotherhood was early warned that the enemies of the Urantia
movement would seek to destroy it, using all manner of wily stratagems to
create dissension, suspicion, and distrust among the membership
responsible for the dissemination of the teachings of The Urantia Book –
including the constant, purposeless harassment of the leadership, and

WHEREAS,
Robert Burton has persistently, over a period of years, carried out a
sustained assault on the leadership of Urantia Brotherhood and Urantia
Foundation, attempting to overthrow confidence in the rightfully ordained
leadership of the custodians of the fifth major revelation, and

WHEREAS,
Robert Burton on numerous occasions has maliciously attacked the officers
and members of the General Council of Urantia Brotherhood charging the
usurpation of the prerogative of democratic debate and open discussion,
and

WHEREAS,
Robert Burton has sought to foment distrust, suspicion, unrest, contention
and strife among the membership of Urantia Brotherhood through the
distribution of certain Resolutions attempting to censure the sister body
of Urantia Brotherhood, Urantia Foundation, intimating that the Trustees
of Urantia Foundation were misapplying donations and were engaging in
other improper activities, and

WHEREAS,
Robert Burton has attempted to keep the leadership of Urantia Brotherhood
and the Trustees of Urantia Foundation off balance and on the defensive
through unjustified and inexcusable accusations and petty harassments, and

WHEREAS.
Robert Burton has made it a practice to harassing the leadership of
Urantia Brotherhood and Urantia Foundation consuming much of their time
and financial resources as they attempt to patiently deal with Robert
Burton’s frivolous and insulting claims and charges, and

WHEREAS,
the Trustees have endeavored at numerous meetings to attempt
reconciliation with Robert Burton, but Burton did not attend nor give
notice that he would not attend at several of these meetings, and

WHEREAS,
the Executive Committee of Urantia Brotherhood and the Trustees of Urantia
Foundation have patiently and actively – over a period of years –
endeavored to act reasonably, consistently, and fairly at all times in the
face of his unwarranted accusations, and

WHEREAS,
Robert Burton has been given full and fair opportunity to air any and all
grievances – real or supposed and properly a matter of discussion before
the General Council – at the meeting of July 23rd, 1972, and
whereas he did not avail himself whatsoever of the opportunity to express
his views fully, openly, and logically, and

WHEREAS,
Robert Burton following that meeting unfairly and willfully misrepresented
and distorted the conduct of that meeting of July 23rd, 1972,
in correspondence to a non-attending General Councilor, and

WHEREAS, Robert Burton preaches the doctrines
of the Lucifer Manifesto of unbridled liberty, and disrespect of, and rebellion
against, rightfully constituted leadership, in this case, of the custodians
of the fifth major epochal revelation accusing or insinuating that they
have participated in fraud, autocratic rule, suppression of free expression,
violation of the principles of fairness and justice, and improper conduct
of policy discussion, alleging secrecy and insinuating wrongdoing, and

WHEREAS,
the foregoing charges, either jointly or severally, are tantamount to open
rebellion against the rightfully constituted leadership of Urantia
Brotherhood and Urantia Foundation, and

WHEREAS,
Robert Burton, by his conduct – notwithstanding his self-serving and
insincere disclaimers – has shown that he is not a member of the loyal
opposition but, indeed, that he wishes to undercut the authority, to cast
doubt on the motives and intentions, and to undermine the support of the
General Council and its officers, and the Trustees of Urantia Foundation,
whereas Robert Burton cannot serve two masters, and one cannot call his
brazen attacks, and baseless charges constructive or helpful in a positive
way, especially when it is directly antagonistic to the cooperative
purposes of Urantia Brotherhood and Urantia Foundation, and

WHEREAS,
the actions of Robert Burton have not been, nor do they promise to be,
consistent with the high duty and responsibility of a member of First
Urantia Society and of a General Councilor of Urantia Brotherhood to
promote the cooperative effort of “a body of people working together for a
common cause,” but whereas he has sought to create suspicion, dissension,
and distrust to the end of disrupting the orderly functioning the that
body, and

WHEREAS,
the Executive Committee wishes the public at large to know that Robert
Burton has acted unreasonably and contrary to the best interests of
Urantia Brotherhood and that they fully disapprove of his detrimental and
insincere conduct designed only to create confusion, suspicion and
distrust, and to promote strife, contention, and misunderstanding, and

NOW,
Therefore, be it Resolved that Robert Burton should be expelled from
membership in URATNIA Brotherhood and to that end the Executive Committee
of Urantia Brotherhood respectfully petitions the Membership Committee of
First Urantia Society to consider and to act upon the foregoing charges to
expel Robert Burton from membership in First Urantia Society and ipso
facto membership in Urantia Brotherhood.